Rotary hydraulic torque converter transmission



Oct. 2l, 1952 J. PAvLEcKA 2,614,391

ROTARY HYDRAULIC TORQUE CONVERTER TRANSMISSION Filed Deo. 1, 1947 2 SREETSf-SHEET 1 MYI/IIAP .92 23 24 2'7 26 fr g. 2.

{T :c: A INVENT-OR: ,G06 iff/Ww Oct. 21, 1952 J. PAvLEcKA ROTARY HYDRAULIC TORQUE CONVERTER TRANSMISSION 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed Dec. l, 1947 FORM//IRDI RE VERSE.'

.S7-A WON/Vey V? .7 1 x a 9 a INVENTOR.

.STA T'IONA Patented Oct. 21, k1952 YUNITED My present invention relates vto;. ..hydraulic forward and reverse directions without any` gears general, and to a rotary torque ,converter transmissionA suitable for installation onv an' engine in close proximity to a vehiclewhee'll in particular.

" f *17" Claims.

.torque converters for transmittingpower inboth O ne vof the objects of my invention is to devise a hydraulic torque converter transmission wherein theusual universal joint for the wheel drive shaft is placedat a very short distance from the engine so as to provide for maximum'length'of K tunnel in which thevehicle wheel drive shaft can Oscillate. i,

A still further object of my invention is to prodetailsV of' its structure with reference to the drawings accompanying this specification.

The torque converter transmission forming the subject .matter of my invention ismost suitable for vehicles wherein theengine is located between either the front or the rear wheels, and the driveis directly y between both ends of the enginev and the wheels. V'In'such a case the distance between the'engine and the wheel is generally toorestricted to allow of the use of any of the existing transmissions because they are all too long and, consequently, the drive shaft and itsuniversal Joint'. could not accommodate the up-and-down movements of the wheel.

In'order tomake such a drive feasible, use is mada' according to my present invention, of the well-known hyjdrokinetic torque converter which aordsforwa'rd and reverse rotation of the outrvvide, in a torque convertertrans'mission wherein forward and reverse speeds are obtained by arresting selectively two of its 'members against rotation and clutching them selectively to an Output shaft, means forperformingl these functions by a combination of hydraulic and mechanical forces remotely controllable.

j'An important object is to devise-jin a hydraulic torque converter transmission lv vherein forward and reverse speeds areobta'ined by braking means onthe side of two of: its members,

means for clutching either one of'y these mem- 'i bers to an output shaft and locating this clutching means adjacent the converter Within the the'overall length to a minimum.

axial'extent of the braking means so as to shorten I A still further object of myinvention'is to devise a hydraulic torque converter transmission in which all the rotating parts areheld together asa unit and are rotatably supported by the driving shaft. independently of the converter housing, whereby the lengthr of the converter is f f reduced because of eliminationof the usual end bearing supports aswell as intervening'supports between the several rotating members,

Another novel provision of myv invention concerns the use of fluid seals functioning against radial rotating. facesy that are turned in the same axial direction whereby expansionof the converter housing will not effect the Contact of one in favor of another one. f

These and other usefulobjects of my invention will become apparent from the following description which presents rst anoutline of the general configuration and function of my new :torque converter transmission,vr and then discloses the put shaft by` selective control without any gears, and means are provided forhydraulically changing from forward into reverse and viceversa by remotecontrol; moreover,y the output yshaft is made' in the form of a tubular member which provid v jroom 4for the vwheel drive shaft universaljointto fbeplaced in close proximity of the vengine crankshaft, and allows for even extremeoscllations o f the drive shaft inside the converter assembly..

'Ihrough this configuration the. wheel drive sha 4fis considerably lengthened and its angular dev "tions duefto: the wheel movements are so reduced as to make theuse of direct drive betweenengineends and the wheels practicable. Having thus .outlinedQthe' scope of my invention, I will'now'describethesame with reference to the drawings, in which `l ig. .1` represents a longitudinal cross-section through the.. torque convertery transmission takenv in a` vertical plane indicated by l-l in lttl';

Eig. 2*.is a: diagrammatic View showing the installation `offtwo torque converter transmissionsbenan engine between two vehicle wheels; yFigli isa viewshowing the blades of the converter elements in plane vdevelopment of the circularline' 3 in Fig. .1, and illustrates certain characteristi oftheblade form and function; an 1 y, v

Figa `is a viewyof. -thejoutboard end of the transmission including two :fragmentary crosssectipns through itsinterior, .the one on the right side being taken through the `turbine brake drum,

. landthe one on the left lthrough the reactor drum LReferringiirst to `the installation shown the output shaft 35 in reverse. vpressure is withdrawn, the springs I will return .from the v,pistons 1| and 56 by remote control means through leads .IIB and |I1 which-are tapped into the respective cylinders. As soon as hydraulic pressur-e in either cylinder is relieved, the piston therein is pushed back into the cylinder by its return spring thereby lallowing the associated Ybrake band to rel-ax, due to its springiness, its hold on the brake drum. .,For clutching the turbine or the reactor to the output shaft 35, the external splines 34 on the turbine hub, on rthe internal splines 30 on the Hreactor ring 29, respectively, are coupledl to the splines 38 on: the output shaft. For thispurpose aclutch collar 58 is provided; it has intern-al splines 60 complemental to theoutput shaft splines 38 and in permanent sliding engagement with them.` For eng-aging the turbine splines r34, th-e clutch collar 58 has a row of complemental internal splines |09 inside its in'board end, and

- a row of external splines 59 -aroun-d the same end for meshing with the splines 30; it also has a peripheral groove 1 for shifting it.

:To perform this shifting, a set of hydraulic cylinders 6| is provided, in this case four in number, equally spaced around `the collar 58; only cylinder SIa is visible in Fig. l, and cylinder 6|b vin Fig. 4. The cylinders are boredthrough livered into this groove from remote control rmeans by an external lead 64 tapped in to the Wall 66.

. The. cylinders 6 each contain a piston 62 which isequipped with a segmental shoe 6 fitted Vinto the groove v 'i on the collar 58, and the pistons -are normally held in retracted position against the Wall 66 by springs I whi-ch are nested between the pistons land brackets 63, the latter being secured 4tothe plate ||9 across each cylinder.

In theirretractediposition the pistons 62 hold the clutch collarv58 so that its splines |09 vmesh r'with the turbine splines, thereby causing the output shaft 35 to be driven forV forward travel;

, at the same time, the reactor brake drum 464 is beingheld stationary by the 4brake bands, the cylinder 53 and the piston 1| therein. yFor shifting into reverse, hydraulic fluid under pressure is introduced between the wall 6B and the pistons 62 in the cylinders 6| thereby overpowering the springs |r and disengaging the splines |09 from the splines 34, and thereupon meshing the splines 58 with the reactor splines 30.

fory rotation by withdrawing pressure from the cylinder 53 and applying it to the cylinder 54, .whichv causes the turbine brake drum 25 t-o be stopped and held against rotation.

'As long as hydraulicy pressureis maintained in the cylinders 6|, the reactor shell 28 will drive As soon as the the pistons 62 into the cylinders 6| and the clutch collar 58 int-o its normal or forward? poksition, .and will hold it there; .at the same time,

the: turbine brake drum 25 is released and the reactor drum 46 arrested against rotation by their mechanical and hydraulic operating mechanisms.- Y

I The 4structure so far disclosed represents all the rotatingl and moving'parts ofthe converter, *al1-of which-are enclosed in a common. housing Simul- Ataneously, the reactor brake drum 46 is released A or--containerwhich yholds the operating uid.

:This housing comprises an end wall 14 originating around the input shaft 9| and 'following the impeller to its periphery where it forms a pilot shoulder` 15, and from it projects radially with a peripheral flange |98. Abutting this flange is a mating flange-18 of the casing 51 which rides on the pilot 15 and has an elastic seal ring 11 lodged in ,a groove around it. The casing 51 is secured to the rigid bell housing 95 by means of screws 93 with the iiange |68 of the Wall 14 included between them.

vThe casing 51 is preferably a casting with reinforcing and cooling ribs on it, and with two anged openings over the .brake bands 21 and 48, one on each side of the converter, for mounting the brake cylinders 53 and 54 by means of screws 52. On the bottom side cf the casing 51 are threaded bosses for the brake anchor studs |I8 and 91. At its end, the casing 51 forms the aforementioned radial wall 66 in which a recess is bored out to receive the pilot the shifter cylinder plate I |9 held in place by studs 8|.

The interiorpart of theconverter housing is provided by a central tubular member 82 which has a radial ange 96 at itsr outer end piloted and clamped in a recess in the wall 66 behind the shifter cylinder plate H9. An elastic seal ring B3 islodged in a groove in the wall 66 to bear against the flange 96.

The casing 51 embodies a novel vfeature in that it abuts the two anges'lii andv 96 of the assovradial web 98 and thereat terminates, with `a cylindrical boss around the universal joint hub d5. i l

In the upper side of the tubular member 82 near its end is a pierced hole through which a tube 84 is inserted and brazed therein for discharge vof air anduid from theA converter; this tube is Within the smallest diameter of the converter fluid circuit so that it will remove all air from yit which is displaced to the center when the converter runs. The tube 84 has a flange 85 on it in co-planar alineinent with the ange 96 on the tubular member 82, and with it abuts the Wall 66 and is secured to it by screws 19 (Fig, 4). and iiuid from the tube 84 into an outside return lead86.

The supply of fluid into the converter is through a lead 44 which deliversit through the Vwall 66 and the plate I |9 thereon.

There are only two rotating parts entering the converter housing, i. e., the input shaft 9| and the output shaft 35, and fluid seals are provided for them in the housing. In as much as the walls of the housing are subject to warpage and expansion due to heat and internal pressure, and the shafts are subject to misalinement since they run in sleeve bearings, I have provided seals that have no contact with the rotating shafts themselves but function against radial rotating faces adjacent the shafts; moreover,` as a novel feature, ythese radial faces are-turned A tapped hole in the wall 66 takes the air one yof saidshells, a universal joint and an asso'- projecting therefrom through the opposite axial end of said uid circuit, means for supporting said rStshell on said input member around rsaid universal joint and shaft, and means for supporting said others of said shells rotatably from said input member around said universal joint yand shaft.

7. In a hydraulic torque converter transmission, a number of. bladed shells jointly constituting the converter fluid circuit, an input member at one axial end of said circuit driving the first one of said shells, an output member driven by one of the others of said shells and having one extremity at said input member and therefrom extending with a tubular body centrally through said fluid circuit to an open extremity at `the opposite axial end, a driven shaft oscillatably secured insideV said output member and projecting outwardly through said open extremitythereof, means for mounting said first shell on said in-y f putV member around said output member, means for supporting one other of said shellsrotatably from said input member and from said rst shell around said output member, means for mounting the remaining of said other shells rotatably onv said one other shell around said output member,

and means for supporting said output member` rotatably in said one other shell.

8.In a hydraulic torqueconverter transmission, an input member at oneend of the trans-A mission, an impeller mounted'on and driven vby said member, a turbine having an elongated hub,

a reactor jointly with said impeller and turbinel circuit to the opposite end of the transmission and :being driven thereat selectively by said turbine and reactor, two bearing means carriedfby said input member, said output member being rotatably supported by one of said bearing means and said turbine hub by the other one, bearing means on said turbine hub for rotatably supporting said reactor, and bearing means in said turbine hub for supporting said output member rotatably whereby said impeller, turbine, reactor, and output member form a unitary assembly supported by saidinput member. y,

9. In a hydraulic torque converter tanrsmission, a number of bladed shells jointly constituting the converter fluid circuit, lan input member, i

at one axial end of said fluid circuit driving yone of said shells, an output member having an inner extremity at said input member and therefrom extending with a tubular body centrally through said fluid circuit to an open extremity at the opposite end, a shaft oscillatably secured to said' an output member having an inner extremity at said input member and therefrom extending with a tubular body centrally through said'fluid circuit to an open extremity at the other end of the transmission, a shaft oscillatably secured to said inner extremity of said'output member and projecting outwardly through said open extremity thereof, means comprising rotating and nonrotating parts for selectively arresting said turbine and reactor against rotation, means comprising rotating and non-rotating parts for selecporting said turbine, reactor, output member, and

saidrotating parts of the arresting and coupling means rotatably from said input member as a unitary assembly; a fluid container enveloping the transmission between said input member and said output member open extremity and having a tubular portion protruding from said open extremity aroundsaid oscillatably secured shaft into said 'output member to said inner extremity thereof, said container supporting said nonrotating parts of said arresting and coupling means, and fluid'seals between saidcontainer andsaid input member and between said tubular portion of said container and said output member.

11. In a hydraulic torque converter transmission, a number of bladed shells jointly constitutingfthe converter fluid circuit, an input member at one axial end of said fluid circuit driving one of said shells, an loutput member having an inner extremity at said inputmember and therefrom extending With a tubular bodyl centrally through said fluid circuit yto an open extremity at the opposite end and being driven thereat by certain of said'shells, a universal joint secured to said inner extremity of said output member, an oscillatable shaft projecting from said universal joint outwardly through said output member fopen extremity; a stationary housing containing fluidand comprising, a Wall at and around said input seals supported by said wall around said input y member and by said central tubular member inside said output member. i

12;" In a transmission substantially as set forth in claim 11, said'wa'll around said vinput member having a peripheral radial flange, said central tubular 'member having a radial flange adjacent said output member openextremity, said casing having complemental radial flanges abutting said Wall and tubular member flanges from the same axial direction and being vsecured thereto.

13. In a transmission substantially as set forth in claim V11, means for feeding fluid into said housing, external fluid discharg'emeans connecting to and extending through said casing to said inner face thereof, said central tubular member having a fluid passage running between the interior surface thereof and said casingface in registry with said fluid discharge means therein and having a flange around said passage abutting said face and being secured thereto.

14. In a hydraulic torque converter transmission, a number of bladed shells jointly constituting-the converter fluid circuit, an input member at one axial end of said fluid circuit driving the rst one of said shells,van output member having faninnerfzextremitm ati` said. input member f and E: therefromzpproje'cting fwith @atubularsbody. centrallythrough said. fiuidcircuit to .an open extremity1at the :opposite: axialv end; meansifor.- coupling said output :member selectively l. to :the others offsaidinumbersoffshells, a shaft secured.

oscillatably to' said inner; extremity' of r said output'member and .projecting outwardly through said open' extremity-thereof', a` housing enclosing. the transmission andiextending from saidy input' member'to said output member open extremity` and. forming@ radial Wall .thereat, ansannular member -forrmounting'isaidz coupling means -secured to said-.radial .Wall around said output` meming memberextending through said output mema ber around'` said Aoscillatably; 'secured shaft there'-y in and having afange' Aabuttingsa-id radial Wall, said tubular housing; member. being `supported by having said'flange thereof clamped. between .said radiaLwall and saidannularmember;4

15; f In". .af-hydraulicV torque f converter i transmisf sion;l av number. ofibladed shells :jointlyg constitut ing V:the l converter uid zcircuit, ,.an. input member at onefend of the transmission mounting vand driving'zth'e -rst one: of said. shells; anti output` member projectingj-fromnsaid input member centrally through saidrluid circuit to the zother' en'd of the transmission, meansforrrotatablysupportingithexothersofV said `shells'fromusaidI input member .around1said output member; means forrrotatably-supporting f said .output fme-mber byi said in means comprising an annular. plate having; a' plurality. of 'open-ended cylinders-therein^andfleeing.: mounted on saidcontainerinner face;` pistons' in said .cylinders :connectedrto said. coupling means;

means.- for holding: said pistons s against said in@ ner'face inone.coupling'position;- and means for.v feeding fluid under pressurel inbetweensaid inner.. face` and said. pistons' for. 'displacing said l-pistons into their other couplingi posi-tion.v

16;4 In ar hydraulic torqueconverter transmis-` sion,-an..input vmemberfv'at onefend'of the transa1 mission, an impeller drivenf..by.saidmember, aturbi-ne anda ureactorjointly--Withfsaid'impeller forming the-.converter uid circuit, an output member having an inner extremityi'at. said input.` member and. therefrom. extending :with .ai tubular'v bodyy centrally f through.. said f fluid .cir-cuit' tol an' open .extremity atsthea opppsite-:end :and .havingf a splined..periphery`r` around .said open extremity,

tremity. of. said voutput:member and .Y projecting. outwardly.. tlfrrough..saidropen-` extremity ithereof,

means lfor... selectively arresting l, said-turbine and .Y

lay

reactor against trota'tiongssaid turbineif,an'direacrvl tor-.aeachliavingz a..row\ off. splines .in xj uxtaposition 1.- tossaid Loutput imember: splined periphery; az.col.'.

lar fengaging- .said :periphery slidably; inzzandrioutfi: i

ofc'mesh with f said; turbine. and vreactor r rows sof.: splines, at Lleast one cylinder anda piston:.there; in, zsaidv piston rzhavingf .'meansf for engaging *rsaid' collar, meansfforiholding saidpiston normally inc said f cylinderv for f lcoupling sai-d turbine to n said" output memberr through .said collar; meansffor:V displacing-gsaidapiston from saidrnorxnal position: hydraulically for coupling said reactor to saidri outputmember; a f stationary hbusingjfenclosing thefftralnsmission and icontaimng; fluid therefor;

said :housing .havinggaiwall adjacentsaidN output.' member .fopenextremity .and supportingfsaid :cyi-

inder .fthereat an'dzhavingsafcentral 'tubular Ymeme` A berr'protruding.-from'fsaidr wall cinto; said :.outputf. member around. said.; shaft therein, and@r fluidi' seals :between :saidihousing :andsaidnnput Inern` berrand. betweenflzsaid.housingscentral memberr and;saidzoutputimember;

17. Inea hydraulicrtorque conyerterf:transmise--Y siony; ainumberioffzbladed ishells. :j ointly :constitute i ing th'eiconverterluidf circuit; anfinput :member: at t; one i end: .of the transmission". driving.` one roti," said .sh'ellsgg an' :output :memb er rdriverrby'fat. `least" a one other.: of said i, shells; said.; output z member having: 'an:internallyfsplinediibossfrotatably; jour'.-- nalledrintsaid'iinputemwberiandtherefromzexa tendingfiwith` .ai tubular bodyfcentrally'- through'. said :fluidi circuit toi. an'; open.' extremity' at the. other transmission.. end;.aaruniversalzjointL posi-` tioned inside "said: outputmembera'nd `havin'ganI internally;- splinedfgboss :in :L axial.; alinementf with:- said: output membenbossf and; having an oscila latable shaft. projecting?. therefrom outwardly' throughrsaidzzoutput member; open extremity,- va' splined shaft .inserted in saidioutputzmember;I boss andlprojectina' into and `mounting said :uni-ev versal `joint boss;y means-.for retainingV said shaft; in .said youtput member, and means for retaining.vv

saidruniversal joint and shaft' on said `splined:I

shaft. 2

JOHN PAVLECKA'.

ItEFERENCES1` CITED The? following-greferences are of record lin thef file of this." patent :1

UNITEDv STATES PATENTS Number.` Name'f D'ate 1,960,705 Kchlingv May 29, 1934' 2,152,113': VanLammeren Mar. 28, 1939'- 2,235;673." Dodge Mar. 18,' 1941" 2,391,682;I Mayn'er`I Aug. '7, 19451 2,401,376.' Sherman'.1 June-4, 19461 FOREIGN PATENTS.

Number;A Country Datei 37 6,268 Great Britain .July 4;.19321 15,527 France3; .May 14 1912-1:`

(Addition 143815933 

